Almost two billion gallons of iced tea are consumed annually in the United States. Two brewing methods are commonly used (as described in The New York Times, Jun. 10, 1992).
The "traditional method" requires bringing cold water to rolling boil, and steeping with tea bags for 5-10 minutes. The hot tea is then poured over ice.
The "cool water method" requires placing teabags in a pitcher with cold water, refrigerating, and letting stand five hours.
One herbal tea manufacturer currently publicizes a teabag capable of producing tea in under 2 hours, using the cool water method.
Both methods present disadvantages. In the "traditional method", the entire operation is relatively quick, between 15 and 20 minutes. However, it is laborious, requiring transfer of liquid from faucet to teakettle to pitcher.
Furthermore, it is energy consumptive. Energy is expended to boil the water, and more energy is expended to cool the tea back from boiling, using ice cubes produced by refrigeration. Energy conservation is a significant concern in the United States today. Furthermore, from a strictly economic point of view, the user pays for the fuel and electricity required to successively heat and cool the beverage.
The "cool water method" overcomes these disadvantages, but the procedure takes five hours. This time duration is required primarily because tea bags tend to float to the surface of the water in which they are initially immersed, a configuration not conductive to diffusion.
The present invention, by permitting relatively rapid brewing in cool water, overcomes the disadvantages of each of the foregoing methods. It eliminates the need for successive heating and cooling, and the relatively rapid brewing process is more practical than the "cool water method."
Additionally, the present invention eliminates adulteration of the beverage from contact with the immersed paper tag or staple generally located at the terminus of the suspension string of commercially available tea bags.
Further, the present invention provides for simultaneous, gradual introduction of granulated sweetener, eliminating the stirring which would otherwise be necessary to prevent the undesirable accumulation of granulated sweetener on the bottom of the vessel.
Various devices have been disclosed for use in preparing an infusible beverage, particularly coffee and tea.
The use of a string suspended porous pouch for beverage infusion within a closed container is disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,976,091 (Pritchett) and 2,995,998 (Howland). U.S. Pat. No. 1,976,091 (Pritchett) discloses a string suspended porous pouch. U.S. Pat. No. 2,995,998 (Howland) is a straightforward use of the tea bag, in a disposable device suitable for hot water brewing, but not for cold water brewing.
The general concept of making cold water infusions was recognized in U.S. Pat. No. 3,199,437 (Nelson). This reference discloses an infusion apparatus having a water pervious, flexible inner bag filled with ground coffee which is centered within a water impervious outer bag by projections, which prevent the inner bag from floating upward.
Both U.S. Pat. No. 4,443,481 (Donarumma) and U.S. Pat. No. 5,047,252 (Liu, et al.) disclose methods for production of a single cup beverage using devices which provide increased mass transfer and extraction efficiency. Unlike these patents the present invention is suitable for production of several quarts of beverage, is not dependent upon agitation (rotation or dunking) by the user, nor is it dependent upon a custom fabricated porous pouch, but is intended for use with standard commercially available tea bags.
The present invention differs from the foregoing art in that it does not require a customized porous pouch, but rather features a system for positively positioning the commercially available string suspended tea bag. Further, unlike the foregoing art, the present invention permits the simultaneous introduction of granulated sweetener while infusion is proceeding.